ITV

Tag: TV

  • Intel, CinemaNow advance the burn-to-DVD entertainment experience

    Intel, CinemaNow advance the burn-to-DVD entertainment experience

    MUMBAI: Computer chip major Intel and Internet provider of downloadable videos in the US CinemaNow have announced a collaboration.

    This will allow consumers using Intel technology-based media PCs, such as those with Intel Viiv technology, to legally download and record major motion picture movie content to blank DVD discs for playback on both the PC and consumer electronics devices, including most standard DVD players.

    Intel Viiv technology-based PCs currently provide consumers with the ability to view their movie content locally on the PC, sync it with portable devices, and wired or wirelessly extend the content through their home networks to connected devices, such as large-screen TVs.

    Intel’s digital home group VP and GM of the company’s Content Services Group Kevin Corbett says, “The ability for consumers to legitimately burn premium content to DVD is one of the greatest barriers to delivering consumers the flexibility to truly enjoy digital home entertainment when and where they want it.

    “The investment by CinemaNow to advance the Burn-to-DVD service model is a major step forward in the digital distribution of content, and Intel is excited to be working with them to bring these capabilities to consumers via Intel Viiv technology.”

    CinemaNow, in collaboration with Intel, will optimise the burn-to-DVD service for PCs based on Intel Viiv technology. The enhancement will enable movie fans who wish to use the burn-to-DVD service through a large screen, or 10-foot interface, to do so from their couch. The service will be available in the early part of this year; the Burn-to-DVD solution is currently available through a standard PC, or 2-foot, interface.

    Additionally, CinemaNow unveiled plans for the delivery of additional Intel Viiv technology capabilities in early part of this year, including extending premium movie content over the home network to connected devices. This service provides CinemaNow customers with the latest Hollywood hits, music videos and independent movies while taking advantage of the capabilities provided by Intel Viiv technology.

    CinemaNow CEO Curt Marvis says, “Joining forces with Intel will help us improve our digital home distribution model. CinemaNow is the ideal platform to demonstrate Intel’s enhanced processor power and this technology will dramatically improve our burn-to-DVD consumer experience.”

    CinemaNow launched burn-to-DVD in July 2006. Burn-to-DVD technology for movies takes advantage of the multi-core performance provided by Intel’s new Core 2 Duo processor. The 40 per cent more powerful Core 2 Duo processor family will allow Intel Viiv technology-based PC consumers to download and burn movies faster and more efficiently. ¹ Intel continues to work with the industry on enhancements to further the performance of these technologies.

  • MTV Networks names global digital media team

    MTV Networks names global digital media team

    MUMBAI: MTV Networks (MTVN), a unit of Viacom has announced a new global digital media executive team. The central team will provide strategic guidance to the company’s portfolio of multiplatform brands, driving cross-brand initiatives and sharing best practices in operations, technology, and distribution. The team will report to MTV Networks Global Digital Media president Mika Salmi and partner hand-in-hand with digital leaders at MTVN’s brands and business units.

    The team will help guide MTVN’s brands in digital distribution expansion, product development and technical support, and cross- brand programming, informs an official release.

    The global digital media team from throughout MTVN includes the following executives, Global Digital Media executive VP Operations Denmark West, MTVN Games and Interactive Media Group EVP and GM Nicholas Lehman, Global Digital Media EVP and creative director Kenny Miller, Digital Media Technology senior VP and chief technology officer Nick Rockwell, MTVN Mobile Media senior VP Greg Clayman and MTVN Global Digital Media senior vice president, online distribution and partnerships Jason Witt.

    Rockwell will continue to report to Viacom and MTV Networks chief information officer Joe Simon. Clayman and Witt will continue to report to MTVN affiliate sales and marketing president Nicole Browning, adds the release.

    “Our digital brands demonstrate the kind of innovation and creativity that have always been signatures of MTV Networks,” said MTVN chairman and CEO Judy McGrath. “Mika Salmi and his new team have the expertise to harness that collective power and deliver first-rate content across any and every screen.”

    “We’re all about connecting audiences with our content — and each other — through immersive environments that span TV, online, and wireless,” said Salmi. “With this team in place, we’re poised to deepen our audience connections, reaching them wherever they are, whenever they want, and on whatever screen they choose.”

    The company claims that the formation of the Global Digital Media team furthers MTVN’s strategy of developing brands that engage, empower and connect diverse and highly targeted consumers with culturally relevant creative content and unique experiences across every platform.

  • Mumbai school wins Disney Channel’s My School Rocks competition

    MUMBAI: Five cities and two months later, St Xavier’s High School, Vile Parle, Mumbai is the winner of the My School Rocks contest organized by Disney Channel.

    St Xavier’s emerged winners after beating 240 other schools including five semi finalists. In every city the performances were recorded and reviewed by noted Bollywood dance choreographer Saroj Khan. The winning group stars in a special music video which was choreographed by Saroj Khan and will be aired on Disney Channel.

    My School Rocks is the biggest-ever interschool group-dance competition held across India. The contest draws inspiration from this year’s sensational Disney Channel original movie, ‘High School Musical’ which continues to be a rage across the globe.

    650 schools from five cities including Amritsar, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad participated in this mega interschool group dance competition. The kids choreographed their own dance sequence on the High School Musical hit song ‘Ho ek hi aim’. Saroj Khan pronounced five schools with the best dancing talent as semi finalists. Vignettes of these five semi finalists’ performances were aired for audience poll via various voting mechanisms on Disney Channel.

     

  • Hungama TV names board of directors for this year

    Hungama TV names board of directors for this year

    MUMBAI: The former UTV owned kids channel Hungama TV made its first official announcement today following its acquisition by the Walt Disney Company. Hungama TV announced their annual selection of their board of directors called the Captains Club which includes ten children from across key cities who act both as a network of local information systems as well as official spokespersons for the channel.

    Representing Hungama TV was VP programming and production Aparna Bhosle who has recently joined the Disney bandwagon and will report Walt Disney Company (India) managing director Rajat Jain. Hungama TV however, appears to be scouting for a head. Bhosle declined to divulge details of the same.

    After coming under the Disney banner, gradual changes are likely to be expected in the acquired channel. However, both parties say that the positioning of the channel will remain the same. On the programming front, the first fruits of these changes are visible as Toon Disney’s Power Rangers series has been added to Hungama’s portfolio of shows, as of 1 January.

    In addition, driver properties on Hungama TV like Doreamon and Shinchan are likely to be pushed further with the support of Disney’s Consumer Products Division with merchandising activities on the anvil.

    When queried by Indiantelevision.com about the occurrence of a conflict of interest as being a natural outcome following the buy out, Bhosle said Hungama TV compliments the offerings of the Disney pair and so far there have been no such demands to implement any such adjustments.

    Kicking off the New Year, Hungama TV has been swift in getting down to business by taking the opinions of the newly appointed board of directors to plan for the year ahead. This board will meet on a quarterly basis to discuss business, an area in which they will be trained by industry experts from each of their local centers. They will also spearhead all local activities of the channel in each of their cities.

    What appears to be a glaring demand among these kids is the need for more live action content. Primarily governed by ‘tweens’, this board will act as a critique for the channel and keep them abreast of the growing competition.

    On speaking to the Captains some of them freely spoke of the changes they would like to see implemented on the channel. Being given priority is the live action show Hero, which the kids see as unrealistic and far fetched.

    Instead, they have suggested a more practical approach based on science rather than imagination. In additions, they also proposed that more on-ground activities need to be executed to drive kids to the channel. They will be required to put into perspective “What children want to see on television across the nation.” This is a culmination of a three month long event titled Parle G Hungama TV Captains Hunt 2006- 2007.

    Bhosle of course said that considering their suggestions has helped the channel in the past and that changes in live action content such as Hero are likely to be seen, as the core focus for the channel is the belief in “kid’s empowerment.”

     

  • ‘Open Season’ comes to your home this new year

    ‘Open Season’ comes to your home this new year

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment played Santa Clause to kids during the recent festive season. The exciting and fun-filled ‘Open Season’, the first animation film from the Sony Pictures stable, is now available in VCD format. The VCD will be sold across the country in an attractive gift pack.

    An ‘Open Season School Essentials kit’ will be given out free with every VCD of this fun, animated movie. The inside of the VCD jacket will have an exciting Boog & Elliot board game, which is based on the storyline of ‘Open Season’, where Boog, the bear is lost in the forest and he has to find his way back home, overcoming the hurdles that come in his way. This VCD will serve as the ideal gift from parents to their children irrespective of the occasion.

    To coincide with the release of this VCD, a contest was run which asked kids to match character names to the picture of the character. Lucky winners got to win cool Open Season Christmas gifts.

    Says Mr. Anupam Sengupta, Marketing Manager, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, India, “India is the first country in which this movie is being offered in VCD format & we are delighted to be distributing it this season. With this offering, we hope to able to help parents with their quandary of the right gift to give their kids this festive season. It will be a delight for the kids to receive especially since it comes with a school kit as well as a board game. Kids will just love showing off the kit at school.”

    Protecting wildlife and nature is probably the finest way to demonstrate love and concern for our threatened planet. Boog and Elliot reinforce this key message amongst kids and parents, after all “Open Season” is all about ‘conservation and not allowing man to abuse wildlife’.

  • Disney to unveil redesigned website with interactive features

    Disney to unveil redesigned website with interactive features

    MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company is set to unveil a redesigned version of its website Disney.com on 8 January. The new website will include features like social networking, chatting options and video clips.

    Redesigning the site appears to have been an important concern for CEO Robert Iger, who will launch the site. Keeping in mind its young target group the site will incorporate parental controls.

    With multiple interactive features, the company also plans to offer a broadband tool titled Disney Xtreme Digital to allow users to create customised profile pages on the site.

    What’s more, the redesigned site hopes to increase advertising opportunities, including video clips and sponsors. In addition, Disney also will sell subscription-based products through the site.

  • Anil Ambani plans foray into TV channel business

    Anil Ambani plans foray into TV channel business

    MUMBAI: Anil Ambani is planning to make an entry into the broadcasting business, the final piece in the media chain where he had so far stayed out.

    On his radar is the launch of an entertainment business channel through Adlabs Films, the listed company where he acquired a majority stake in mid-2005.
    “We are considering it and have given the proposal for the launch of an entertainment business channel. But the board has to approve of it,” Adlabs chairman and managing director Manmohan Shetty tells Indiantelevision.com.

    The idea is to capitalise on the contacts that Shetty has with the film industry and synergise content with Adlabs’ film production business. The channel would also provide information on the gross earnings from box office collections and other financial data.

    Shetty, however, did not wish to talk on the content front, saying “it was too early to talk about anything” till the go-ahead signal was given for launching the channel.

    Adlabs already has a presence in film processing, production and distribution business. The company is also stepping into TV content production and has bought out majority stake in Siddharth and Anita Basu’s production house Synergy Communications Pvt Ltd. Ambani has ventured into the FM radio sector with aggressive bids for stations.

    “The acquisition process is not completed yet. We would be pumping money into the content business after that. We will be making content for other TV channels through this company,” says Shetty. Synergy has produced popular shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati or KBC (an Indian version of the popular western game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire) for Star and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (a local adaption of Dancing With The Stars) for Sony.

    Adlabs has ambitious plans for animation. In the pipeline is a 3D feature film, Superstar, with Southern actor Rajnikanth’s Ochre Studios which is slated for release in April 2008. The second animation project is a feature based on the characters Gini & Jony, who represent one of the top brands in children apparel in India.

    “The first film will cost Rs 310 million and we will have a worldwide release. We haven’t finalised the budget for the second film as we are not ready with the script yet,” says Shetty.

    Rounding up the media cycle will be the foray into the broadcasting space. Ambani has already announced his plans for IPTV and a direct-to-home (DTH) service.

  • BSky reaches two million DVR boxes

    BSky reaches two million DVR boxes

    MUMBAI: UK pay TV service provider BSkyB says that the total number of Sky+ boxes installed in customers’ homes in the UK has broken through two million for the first time.

    The milestone was reached after the number of Sky+ boxes grew by more than 50 per cent in 2006, putting Sky on track to pass its target of 25 per cent Sky+ penetration well in advance of the original schedule of 2010.

    The company says that the rapid growth of Sky+ highlights increasing demand from customers for the ability to take control over their television viewing. With two million active boxes, almost five million viewers are using Sky+ to record without video tape, pause and rewind live TV, and record all episodes of a favourite series at the touch of a button.

    To give customers even more choice and control, Sky plans to introduce a number of new enhancements to Sky+ in 2007 that will revolutionise the TV experience even further. These innovations will include the ability to use the internet to set a recording on your Sky+ box even when you are away from home. Customers will simply log on to www.sky.com to programme their box remotely.

    Also in 2007, Sky will introduce a new enhancement giving Sky+ customers the chance to enjoy a selection of the week’s best programmes on-demand. The service will be available to more than one million Sky+ and Sky HD customers from launch, making use of additional recording capacity on the hard drive of more recent boxes.

    Sky CFO Jeremy Darroch said, “Sky+ has changed the way millions of people watch TV. In its own way, Sky+ has as dramatic an effect on the experience of TV as the iPod has with music. There’s no going back once you’ve experienced the ability to take control over the TV schedules and we’re planning new innovations in 2007 to make Sky+ even better.

    “Passing the milestone of 2 million Sky+ boxes keeps us on track to break through our target of 25 per cent penetration well ahead of schedule. The rapid growth of Sky+ shows strong customer demand for additional services and gives us great confidence as our multi-product strategy moves forward this year.”

    Viewing behaviour in Sky+ homes

    To coincide with the milestone of two million boxes, Sky has published new research findings highlighting how Sky+ is changing the TV viewing habits of families around the country. The data, garnered from the Sky View research panel, provides an accurate measurement of how customers are using Sky+ to record – or ‘time-shift’ – television programmes.

    Drama is the genre of programming most frequently recorded by Sky+ customers, accounting for 39.3 per cent of all time-shifted viewing. Other popular genres are documentaries (14.9 per cent), entertainment (13 per cent) and movies (9.5 per cent). In contrast, some genres of content remain at their most popular when consumed live. News and weather account for just 0.6% of time-shifted viewing by Sky+ viewers, while current affairs programmes account for 1.2%. (Source: Sky View)

    These trends are reflected in the ranking of channels whose programming is subject to most time-shifting by Sky+ viewers:

    With the ability to record two programmes simultaneously, Sky+ resolves scheduling clashes and allows customers to record peak-time shows to watch at a more convenient time.

    Sky View research shows that, in Sky+ households, time-shifting accounts for 22 per cent of all viewing of programmes originally scheduled between 9 pm and 10 pm and 17 per cent of all viewing of programmes scheduled between 10 pm and 11 pm.

  • 63 mn IPTV subscribers by 2010: Study

    MUMBAI: California-based market research firm iSuppli has released a study that predicts that the number of subscribers to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services worldwide is expected to nearly triple in 2007.

    This will help drive a strong increase in sales of wired communications equipment and related semiconductors for the year.

    Global IPTV subscribers will reach 14.5 million in 2007, up 192.4 per cent from 4.9 million in 2006, iSuppli predicts. By 2010, worldwide IPTV subscribers will amount to 63 million

    The study notes that in the long run, the Asia Pacific region will lead the global revolution in IPTV in terms of subscribers, service revenue, infrastructure etc. The region’s broadband penetration, supportive regulatory framework, will fuel the growth.

    China has potential; The US will be a difficult market for IPTV: Worldwide IPTV service revenue is forecast to reach $ 38 billion in the year 2009. The worldwide IPTV subscribers are forecasted to reach 53 million in the year 2009. The Americas and Western Europe are expected to be the biggest markets in terms of revenue per user basis.

    IPTV market potential varies highly across the world depending upon the local Pay-TV market and regulatory conditions. China will be the future IPTV dragon due to rapid urbanisation, fast growing economy and expanding middle class.

    The US will be a more difficult market for IPTV, due to high existing pay-TV penetration, and stiff price and service competition that is likely to come from the entrenched operators in the cable and satellite sectors. Consumer familiarity with IPTV service is very low although youth today are much more aware of it when compared with people belonging to other age groups. In terms of the principal barriers to IPTV adoption, the cost is by far and away the most significant factor across all countries and age groups.

  • Mobile video to boost sports services market: Juniper report

    Mobile video to boost sports services market: Juniper report

    MUMBAI: The increasing influence of mobile video enabled on 3G networks will drive the uptake of many mobile sports, leisure and information services over the next five years, says Juniper Research.

    The global market for sports, leisure and information content (infotainment) is set to grow from its 2006 value of just under $4.2 billion to $9.5 billion by 2011. The largest geographic market is forecast to be in Europe, which is expected to account for 40 per cent of revenues over the 2006 to 2011 period, with Asia Pacific contributing 33 per cent and the rapidly growing US market 18 per cent.

    The Asia Pacific region, according to the Juniper Research report, would generate the most infotainment traffic over the period, but higher price levels would make Europe the largest revenue generator.

    The report’s author Bruce Gibson said, “video has the potential to transform the user experience of many infotainment services, provided the video quality is good enough. The continued roll-out of 3G services globally will provide the platform for the development of high quality video content based services.”

    Types of services that will particularly benefit from enhanced video capability will include sports services, services based around TV shows and celebrities, traffic update services, news services and community applications with user generated content. Growth in sports services and services with user generated content should be particularly strong.

    Gibson adds, “Sports services are getting repeated boosts by high profile global and regional sporting events. 2008 will be a significant year in market growth with Uefa Euro 2008 and the Beijing Olympics. However the need to acquire mobile sports rights is keeping sports service prices high and these services require high quality and timely content.

    “On the other hand community applications with user generated content have relatively low cost content acquisition and minimise much of the complexity of content acquisition and updating. We see growth opportunities in both market sectors for very different reasons.”